Latest / Auto Collabs / Would You Work For YOU? with Alan Brown

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Would You Work For YOU? with Alan Brown · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  Ah, ah, ASOTU CON. [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. Michael, now when he sneezes, it sounds like ASOTU CON. I mean, it's only December, but we are thinking about it. That's the truth.
• 0:17
  [laughs] And, and, and today's guest, actually, we're hoping we can get to come to ASOTU CON, because he's a... Like, everywhere I see him, he's totally a ball of energy, right?
• 0:29
  Like, he's one of those people, I'm like, "Where does that come from on a regular basis?" It's like, feels inexhaustible. We're talking about Alan Brown, by the way. Yeah. Uh- I thought you were talking about me.
• 0:40
  It's, it's fine. [laughs] No. I said a little ball. I've only experienced Alan- Period, right? [laughs]...
• 0:47
  via social media, and the minute, like, it was, like, the third post I saw from him, and just the way he engaged his employees and the community and things like that, I immediately hit the ASOTU team.
• 0:58
  I was like, "Who knows Alan that can get him on a podcast tomorrow?" [laughs] And- I'm, I'm trying to remember now. Where, where did I meet him? I'm gonna say a David Kane event.
• 1:08
  You might have met him at a David Kane event. Oh, that is where it was. Yeah. There you go. That is where it was.
• 1:11
  One, one of the things that always impresses me about him is, to your point, he is, he is infectious energy in a good way, right? Like, he, he just sits there and says nothing, and people are drawn to him.
• 1:24
  Oh, absolutely. You know what I mean? One of those broad smiles ready to go. Maybe we just need to get a portrait of him. Like- [laughs]... a hand painted portrait. Yeah.
• 1:32
  Put him in, like, one of his suits with the smile and the hair and the energy and all that. Well, regardless, though, we hope that we can bring you some of that Alan Brown energy in this interview on Auto Collabs.
• 1:43
  [upbeat music] Alan, it is so exciting to be with you.
• 1:50
  You not only have the best suits, the best smile, um, the best Southern accent in the automotive industry, but, uh, you're hanging out with two of the three best people in the industry.
• 2:00
  I'll let you t- pick who those are. [laughs] Oh, man. Well, it's a pleasure. Thank you for having me, and excited to spend some time with you guys today. Oh, man. Thank you again. Um, okay.
• 2:10
  So you are someone that, that first came across my personal radar when you were talking about these amazing team meetings that you have. Yeah.
• 2:18
  And I know some people have heard about these in the industry, but we need more people to hear about them.
• 2:22
  Could you just give us, give us, like, the CliffsNotes on the special meetings that you have that have been really impactful? Yeah, happy to.
• 2:29
  So we, we, we celebrate our employees once a month every single month, the first Friday at 2:00. If you want to join, please, we, we have the factory show, uh, GM Financial shows, uh, GM Accessories.
• 2:45
  Uh, you know, we, we just have a, a really neat gathering. And what it is is our employees coming together, uh, for us as a team to celebrate them.
• 2:55
  We, we get in one big circle inside the shop on this first Friday, and I literally have every data point.
• 3:02
  And we start with birthdays and anniversaries, and, uh, I do a handwritten card, put $20 in it, uh, and we acknowledge those birthdays and anniversaries for that new month that we're walking into together.
• 3:14
  Uh, then the next page is going to be top performers, uh, top performers of the previous month.
• 3:21
  Sales, uh, BDC, our KBB buying team, 'cause we're obviously buying cars through KBB and private party more so than going to auction, which is a whole different segment, right?
• 3:32
  [laughs] But, uh, uh, we, we go through all of these departments.
• 3:36
  Uh, and then one really neat one, uh, in this, uh, is I got, you know, I got some feedback from the techs going, "You know, uh, tech of the month is, it's this guy or that guy pretty consistently, right?" Mm-hmm.
• 3:50
  So we started a, a tech of the month that is voted on by all the techs. Oh.
• 3:58
  So all the techs go into this electronic deal, and they vote on the guy that had the best attitude, willingness to help another guy, clint- clean- uh, the cleanest stall, uh, you know, just all these data points that they do on this electronic survey.
• 4:14
  So that's one of the topics as well, or honorees.
• 4:19
  Uh, so, uh, we've got this huge blackjack wheel, and this blackjack wheel, uh, 17 pays 100, 18 pays 150, 20 pays 200, and, um, uh, 21 pays 500.
• 4:35
  And, and so I have my assistant controller card table, and we're, we've got cash. And so- [laughs]... when the porter hit, when the jack hits, we call it Baptist Church at the Chevrolet store.
• 4:49
  [laughs] I mean, they love, they're having a hoot. It's a ton of fun. There's high-fiving going on. So this, I've done this for years.
• 5:00
  Um, I did it when I was a Volkswagen dealer, and obviously I, I carried it forward in this store for the last four years.
• 5:06
  But, uh, someone, uh, turned this into Automotive News, and Automotive News did a big, uh, uh, article on it.
• 5:14
  They came out, um, and when they came out, it just so happened, it just lined up this way, I had the high school marching band from [laughs]... at the pep rally. Crazy coincidence.
• 5:28
  So when people are walking in, there is a marching band lined up. You think you're back in high school football. And I mean, it just makes the little hair stand up, get you all fired up. Oh, yeah.
• 5:40
  It was just a ton, a ton of fun. But that, that article's out there, uh, you know, with us, and you can read about that. You can join us- So does the marching band come back every month now? Oh, sure.
• 5:52
  You know, we, we try to do unique stuff around high school, uh, you know, when, when football season's in. Uh, the other thing- Oh, yeah...
• 5:58
  that we do is 12:00, everybody knows, especially for any dignitaries that's coming to visit, we do a really, really nice lunch, uh, that, uh, 12:00 that Friday of.
• 6:09
  Uh, so it's lunch, it's, it's community feel, and then it's all of us coming together. This pep rally takes about 20 minutes.
• 6:17
  Uh, the other thing that's neat about it is after I get through honoring what happened in the previous month, then I go into what was our objective last month, and how did we stack up against forecast, right?
• 6:31
  So everybody knows every number.Uh, and then the last thing I talk about is I talk about what is the forecast of the month that we're standing in right now. What is our goals? What is it gonna take?
• 6:43
  What does it look like for each of us? 'Cause we can't have a bad day that turns into a bad week, and a bad week that turns into a bad month, right? Mm-hmm. And a lot of that's right between the ears.
• 6:53
  Uh, so hey, if you're having a bad day, come find one of us, 'cause we don't want a bad day to turn into a bad week. It's kinda that kind of- Oh, that is such a great piece of wisdom right there. Because that is...
• 7:05
  Like, you're saying that, I'm like, that is definitely how it goes. Yeah. Right? Like, and it- It, this is a game of mental toughness. Yeah. And, and to get mentally tough, you've gotta have mentorship.
• 7:14
  I'm just gonna sit here like this the rest of the show. [laughs] I'm just gonna let you... You just give it to us, okay, sounds good? [laughs] You gotta have mentorship, right?
• 7:22
  You've gotta have mentorship to gain mental toughness, uh, in a pilot's field for the business. And so that takes all of us. And so we, we share that type of stuff.
• 7:32
  And then the last thing we do in this big circle, if you can imagine it, is we literally go around the room to any dignitary that's visiting us, any manager, uh, any leader, uh, from finance department, service, parts, all that good stuff, and they get a moment to speak.
• 7:49
  Uh, and you know, GM Financial will talk about, "Hey, guys, don't forget, you know, you've got this program out there, 2.9 on trucks," or whatever, whatever, whatever.
• 7:59
  And so everybody gets a moment to kinda share their piece of it, regardless of what their piece is. And so for me, what's cool is whether you're a porter or a general sales manager, you know everything.
• 8:12
  And you know- Yeah...
• 8:12
  when you talk about speed and accuracy of culture, when you talk about growing your business, 9 times out of 10 it's mo- removing the barriers of, of, of bad communication or the lack of communication.
• 8:29
  If we remove that and we eliminate turnover because we love people more than we love cars, hey, plug for you. Uh, you know what I mean? [laughs] Then, then, then guess what? Our business is gonna grow.
• 8:40
  The difference between a great dealer and an average dealer, do you have the tenacity and the mental and physical fortitude to hold the line with doing the right thing when it comes to people and culture?
• 8:52
  That's all I got for you. That's it? That- Okay, see you guys later. [laughs] We'll see ya. It's been a great show. Look, here's- Alan, I gotta ask you this. I gotta ask you this.
• 9:02
  Because there's, there's still so much conversation about 30-day cycles, the revenue, the- Yeah... units sold, the pacing, the leads, the opportunities.
• 9:12
  How do you map what is clearly the infinite game that you're playing? How do you map that to those business outcomes?
• 9:18
  What do you say to dealers that can't perhaps break out of that, that, let's call it a limiting mindset, and I don't mean that in a, a derogatory way, but just th- Yeah...
• 9:28
  that that's the way the industry's been taught, and you're clearly thinking about this business on a different plane. Yeah.
• 9:34
  I, I think the very first tough question that a dealer or a, a, a leader needs to ask himself in the car business, and, and I want you to hear this very carefully: Would you work for you? I'm gonna say it again.
• 9:49
  Would you work for you? I had, I had some mentors early in my career that, that helped me understand this and see this, right?
• 9:59
  Because we know that pay, if you look at how people digest their career, pay is number six, number seven in the top 10 reasons on why I'm hooked up here, why this is what I call my career and what I call home.
• 10:14
  So, you know, are you inspiring, are you growing? Well, the, the key to that is, are you inspiring and growing in difficult times? The auto industry, look, it, it's, it's, it's, it's fluid. It's constantly changing.
• 10:31
  It's frustrating. It's scary. It's worrisome. Um, and so how do you lead through that? Uh, and that's the art of leadership, right?
• 10:43
  You've gotta make sure that you, uh, separate the financial number piece and the human element. They are two totally different reports. They're two totally different graphs. Uh, and, and so how do you stay calm?
• 10:59
  You stay calm by your team together launching a good forecast. And then you stay calm by being in your numbers every single day.
• 11:11
  I spend, and this could be a whole nother, uh, podcast show with you guys, but I do a book every single day. You literally could ask me what was December two years ago, and I could pull every stat of everything.
• 11:25
  So what it allows me to do as a leader is practice what I preach. It allows me to stay very calm and very calculated, because I'm seeing a trend from one day to the next.
• 11:37
  Not I got to month end and, "Oh, what happened here?" What happened? Yeah. Right?
• 11:43
  And I think that's- I wanna go back real quick, because y- y- you know, you said, like, you know, the pay plan, uh, or that pay is, is not the leading driver- No... to career path.
• 11:53
  And, and, or, or even, like, the activity within a day-to-day.
• 11:57
  There's, there's this relationship to the day-to-day activity that you're pointing to, which is the, making sure you understand where you're at, you understand the data.
• 12:05
  But, you know, the narrative, the prevailing narrative in auto is, like, pay plan drives behavior. Mm-hmm. Right? And, and so I...
• 12:13
  Like, talk to that, how, how there's both truth and, like, falsity in that, because I think you're, you're painting a narrative that says that, yes, responding to the data, understanding what gets you there in the end, the business outcome, does drive behavior.
• 12:28
  But also at the same point you're saying, no, there's, there's this culture, there's this human behavior element that can be, that can supersede... the drive toward a financial outcome. That's right.
• 12:40
  Well, first of all, you do have to have good pay plans. Uh, you, you do have to have pay plans that stretch people, but also you gotta have a pay plan that somebody can look at and say, "I can get there.
• 12:52
  I can kill this." Right? That's when we function the best in the car business, is when we see and believe in what we've been given as a roadmap to financial success.
• 13:05
  Then, then the rest of it is making deposits, positive deposits, in them every single day that encourage them and equip them and remove the barriers so they can go run. Now, here's the other side of it.
• 13:19
  I will, I- if you interview any of my managers, and, and you- you're welcome to do this, you can call any employee that you want to at any time and ask them any question about any of this.
• 13:31
  I, I encourage you to do that, number one. Number two, when, when I make that kind of deposits, when our team is making that kind of deposits on each other, I can make a withdrawal every now and then. Right.
• 13:44
  And when I make, when I make a withdrawal, when I make a coaching moment withdrawal from somebody, it has tremendous impact.
• 13:52
  Uh, because it's very rare that I get fr- frustrated or angry or, uh, assertive, but when I do, you can sell tickets to it. And, and, and, and, and I think- [laughs]... leadership is different, right?
• 14:09
  [laughs] He said, "When you do, I can sell tickets to it." [laughs] Let's go. Okay. [laughs] I, I gotta ask this because, like, it, this doesn't come out of nowhere.
• 14:18
  And, and y- I don't know if anybody can hear listening, but I, yeah, I would describe you as somewhat of a passionate person. May- you know, maybe. Somewhat. [laughs] Somewhat, okay. You know, just a wee bit.
• 14:29
  Um, where, where does that... Like, who did that come from? Where did that come from in your career, or who was the guiding force that led to this type of intentional leadership as you grew in your career?
• 14:43
  Yeah, so- 'Cause it didn't just, like, pop out of nowhere... so, you know, I, I, I first, you know, I, I came from, uh, you know, blue-collar upbringing, humble beginnings. Uh, my, my dad was a police officer.
• 14:56
  My grandfather worked for Ford Motor Company. He was actually the last guy, uh, to close the doors at the Ford plant in whenever that was, '69, '70. Oh, wow. Dallas. Wow.
• 15:07
  Um, and you know, he saw an ad in the paper, uh, for a car wash position.
• 15:12
  Uh, and that's where I spent, uh, the first 27 years of my business life and ended up partnering in three VW stores with the Beck Automotive Group.
• 15:20
  And, you know, I got very, very lucky that I had, first of all, a love for the industry.
• 15:25
  I had love for cars, and my grandfather could see that, uh, 'cause I was always tinkering and, and messing with stuff, uh, as a young adult coming out of high school.
• 15:34
  Uh, and then, you know, my, my mentor growing up was Jerry Reynolds, uh, you know, the, the guy with Car Pro Show. He, he was a sales manager at the time.
• 15:44
  And, uh, he poured into me, and he, he saw, he saw a lot of stuff in me. Uh, and, and I got a funny story for you. It's a good Texas story, but- Okay...
• 15:53
  you know, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm 19 years old, I'm about 115 pounds soaking wet, and we're on a repo. Uh, I got the key, I'm the legs, I'm the runner, and we're in a seedy part of town.
• 16:04
  [laughs] And we're in an apartment complex, and we're waiting for a car to show up. It's me and Jerry and a 357 between us and a Crown Victoria, 'cause that was his demo.
• 16:13
  [laughs] And, uh, he looked, and he always has a cigar. He looked at me, and he goes... He pulled out a cigar, and he goes, "Man," he goes, "you're awful calm. What's your story?"
• 16:24
  And that's where I shared with him I wanted to be a police officer, 'cause that was my dad, and that's what I, that's what I had to look up to.
• 16:32
  And he had a conversation with me about being a police officer and his partner getting, uh, killed, and a lot of people don't know that.
• 16:39
  And, uh, and he right then started challenging me and asking me questions, and mentorship that kept me in the industry, launched my career.
• 16:50
  And because of that, uh, I am in the industry and been able to do what I've been able to do today. And so from my perspective, I owe that. I owe that back every single day. Wow.
• 17:04
  So that, that's where my pace, that's where my excitement, that's where my zeal comes from, is because of what one person's kindness was. And you know, that's why we've gotta make those same deposits as leaders today,
• 17:18
  because how many future general managers could we be building? How many future service managers could we be building with a little encouragement? That's right.
• 17:29
  I think Cirillo has a man crush on you, is what it looks like to me. There's so many things. [laughs] I've never heard him this quiet for this long. [laughs] No, because, I mean, there's so many ti- I'm just observing.
• 17:40
  You know, one of the things that I can't stand are posers. Mm. But when I find someone who's not a poser, who's, like, legit, I'm just like, "Keep talking." Yeah. "Will, will you come and read me to sleep at night?"
• 17:55
  [laughs] "Will you..." Bedtime stories with Alan Brown. And, and then I'm just... I, you know, there's a couple of th- I mean, not only... You, you brought this up earlier, Paul.
• 18:04
  He's a trendsetter with the suits and the pocket squares and just being put together, but I don't know if you guys have picked up on this. You, Alan, you are such a trendsetter.
• 18:14
  I don't know if you know this about yourself. You are such a trendsetter that your real office is the same backdrop that people use for green screen- [laughs]... all throughout the industry. [laughs] It does.
• 18:29
  It's perfectly framed. [laughs] It's just framed. It's perfect. It really is. But you gotta have fun, right?
• 18:35
  You have your personality out there and, uh- [laughs] You know, I think- I, honestly, knew you were office famous. Yeah. You know, I, I think it's a little bit of the old VW, you know, blood's still in me.
• 18:46
  You know, we, when we were really rocking, we wore tie-dye T-shirts, and we had Jimi Hendrix posters on the wall, and- Bandanas... and Yeah. Oh, my, my whole intro used to be, "Hey, I'm Alan Brown.
• 18:58
  I'm one of the partners here, and nobody's gonna power close you in a tie-dye T-shirt today." [laughs] "And if they did, you wouldn't tell anybody about it." You're like-
• 19:07
  So you just keep walking that walk and you keep winning. [laughs] Uh- My Lord... so, you know, I- Gotta bring that marketing theme back. Uh- That's strong right there. Yeah.
• 19:13
  No, but I'm telling you right now, Alan, you could, r- just if you remove yourself from the frame, we took a screenshot. We could sell your s- office as a green screen backdrop that I'm su- I'm, I swear I've seen this.
• 19:26
  Other people are using your office. [laughs] Well, thank you. Thank you. That's unbelievable. We try to have fun. You know? Try to have fun. I love it.
• 19:34
  I think that the, I, I think of what you said about needing to make a withdrawal. I've, I've thought about this in terms of, I, I call it relational equity.
• 19:44
  Um, and I think of how many interactions a general manager, a sales manager has every single day where they have the opportunity to either keep walking on th- wherever they were heading or whatever they're thinking about, or little by little, just make deposits, as you call them, you know, throughout the day.
• 20:03
  And the difference that that, that actually adds up to over the course of a week, of a month, of six months, that when there is something occ- like what you said, when there's, like, a coaching moment or a moment that you have, you have a full account.
• 20:16
  And so, like, that, that is constantly in my mind, and I, it's, like, kind of convicting me on all the times I don't take the opportunity to do that because I'm busy with important things, you know? [laughs] Sure.
• 20:27
  Oh, yeah. And you know, it, this is something I also learned as a, as a baby general manager, you know? Um,
• 20:36
  it, it's, it's interesting when you, when you, when you really look at this, but if you think back, how many general managers do you know that lost their deal, lost their job, and they were taking turns every single day?
• 20:50
  A, a wayward customer on the drive. Hey, they're walking by a salesperson that's struggling, struggling for one reason or another. That, that general manager took turns every day. Do you recall them losing their job?
• 21:04
  [laughs] Most of all the general managers I know that have lost their job lost their way because they stopped doing what made them uber successful, which is- Ah... moving and taking turns, right?
• 21:17
  And so when you take a turn, what that does for your culture is unbelievable because you expose yourself.
• 21:24
  And, and what I found in talking to different guys throughout the years, the number one reason that a lot of general managers don't take turns anymore is fear of failing in front of the people they lead. Mm.
• 21:36
  Hey, be fearless. Don't be afraid of failing. When you fail in front of your people trying the same word track that you teach in the 12 o'clock meeting, guess what? All of a sudden they get behind you differently.
• 21:48
  Mm-hmm. They look at you as a leader. I've run through brick walls. Yep. Uh, and so don't be afraid of taking turns on the fly every single day. That is a big piece of culture. I love it. I love it.
• 22:02
  Hey, Alan, we could probably ask 33 more questions- Easy... and squeeze all- Easy... of the juice out of them. Uh, but the time has come today. Uh, Alan, it has been a pleasure.
• 22:14
  I know that we'll be hearing and seeing more from you in the ASOTU community. Uh, but on behalf of myself, Paul, and Michael, thanks for joining us here on Auto Collapsed. Yeah, it was a pleasure. Thank you, guys.
• 22:24
  [upbeat music] Well, uh, I have noticed- I, I looked over and, and, and s- and I saw Cirillo. For those just listening, I saw Cirillo. [laughs] He had this little cheeky grin. His face was slightly tilted to one side.
• 22:37
  This is such a true story, by the way. [laughs] You know? And he had, he had those little rose-colored eyes. Yes.
• 22:43
  Just, you know, you might as well put him at sophomore year, you know, and- The, the little heart coming up from behind him. No. The iPhone picked up. This dude speaks my language.
• 22:51
  Well, first I was smiling because every time Paul accidentally does a thumbs up, it pops up on his screen. [laughs] But then he freezes for about- [laughs] Here we go. Here we go... a, a three quart- We're gonna freeze.
• 23:03
  There it is. Ah. Hey. The freeze frame. The freeze. So that made me... But then I, you know, then I was really getting dialed into what Alan was saying, and I'm just like- Yeah...
• 23:11
  "Dude, this is my kind of guy right here." Yeah. "This guy is the retail auto industry that we know and love." Man. Well, and, and we didn't really dig into it, but the, and, and he was, he was leaning into it.
• 23:23
  But what happens when you expose the business outcomes across the departments to the entire store- Mm... is galvanizing for a store. Like, I know what's up there, I know what's up there. They succeeded.
• 23:38
  They have opportunities. They succeeded. I helped them succeed. They helped me succeed. You start to galvanize everyone from the newest employee to the longest, uh, to the longest lasting employee- Mm-hmm...
• 23:49
  to each other to say, "Yep, we all are connected in the business outcomes of this thing." Truth. Truth. And very rarely do you find somebody who is so in tune with every department in their store.
• 24:02
  Like, he's in tune from the numbers to what's going on in the technician's life, and that is something that only comes, like, what he was talking about, like, making the regular deposits in the accounts, like, talking about relational, uh, relational equity or whatever he called it.
• 24:17
  I call it relational equity. But, and I don't, I don't even know what else to say. Yeah. It's like they're simple things. Would you work for you? W- it's like that question right there. I was like, "Huh."
• 24:27
  Well, you know, like, would you work for you? He, it's clear- Yeah... he shows up every day asking himself that question, and that dictates, his answer to himself dictates how he treats the people that are on his team,
• 24:40
  right? Through the thick and thin, he wants to maintain consistency, that calm. He said, like, I love that he used the word calm. How often do we hear the word calm when someone's talking about- In auto industry?...
• 24:51
  the auto industry? Yeah. Never. Well- That's probably the first time. Hey, listen, we hope you enjoyed this episode. I'm Michael Cirillo, here with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
• 25:00
  Thanks so much for joining us on Auto Collapsed. Sign up for our free and fun to read daily email for a free shot of relevant news in automotive, retail, media, and pop culture. You can get it now at asotu.com.
• 25:14
  That's A-S-O-T-U.com. If you love this podcast, please leave us a review and share it with a friend. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.
• 25:26
  [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collapsed. Welcome to Auto Collapsed. [laughs] Why are we recording? Are we rolling yet? Not yet.